NFC Scout: Bears' Justin Fields Proved Himself as 'Weapon,' Has a 'Ways to Go' as QB

Justin Fields was one of the NFL's most exciting players during the 2022 season, serving as one of the bright spots for the 3-14 Chicago Bears.

But questions remain about his play under center.

"Fields proved he's a weapon but has a ways to go as a quarterback," an NFC scout told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "The Bears must figure out if they can marry those two."

Fields, 23, became only the third quarterback in NFL history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season this season with 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns. He joined Michael Vick (1,039 yards in 2006) and Lamar Jackson (1,206 yards in 2019 and 1,005 yards in 2020) in that exclusive club.

He also provided some of the year's most exciting plays:

The question with Fields is whether he can progress as a pocket passer. He threw for 2,242 yards, 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 2022, completing just 60.4 percent of his passes while taking a league-high 55 sacks.

The next step will be emerging as a more consistent thrower. The Bears will hope he follows a similar trajectory to Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who was in the MVP conversation this year before a late-season injury.

Like Fields, Hurts is a weapon on the ground, rushing for 760 yards and 13 scores this year. But he also made enormous strides from the pocket, throwing for 3,701 yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 66.5 percent of his passes and taking 38 steps.

The Eagles went 14-3 and are headed to the Super Bowl.

Granted, the Eagles have surrounded Hurts with playmakers like A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert and Miles Sanders. The Eagles are loaded. The Bears very much are not.

But Hurts is a good example of what the Bears need Fields to become to sustain success. They don't need him to be in the mold of Tom Brady or Peyton Manning in the pocket—that would be a waste of his versatility.

But getting to a level of consistency as a passer like Hurts would be huge for Fields. The Bears need to give him more weapons in the passing game to aid that process.